Catch



March 24, 1936. WAKEFIELD 2,035,033

CATCH Filed Nov. 4, 1955 Patented Mar. 24, 1936 CATCH Frank E. Wakefield, North Attleboro, Mass, assignor to Evans Case Company, North Attleboro, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 4, 1935, Serial No. 48,260

2 Claims.

Without intending to limit the use of the invention the catch is especially adapted for use in connection with receptacles such as purses, bags, cases and the like and for illustrative purposes it will be described in connection therewith.

A chief purpose of the invention is to provide means for holding together two members which may be closure members of a bag or the like in such manner that they may be firmly and securely held closed and may be readily and easily released for separation or opening. In general the invention comprises a sliding member which continuously engages a slide way on one of the closure members and may be moved so as to engage also a side member on the other closure member.

In the accompanying drawing which shows-one embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a bag provided with a catch, portions being broken away to more distinctly show the mechanism. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line l4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a mechanism associated with one of the closure members a portion being in section to show the construction of the mechanism. Fig. 6 is a plan View of the slideway member on one of the closure members. Fig. '7 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the device of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section on the line 99 of Fig. 6.

In the device illustrated the bag or case includes two side members I5 and [6. The side member is provided with a frame member I! and the side member i6 is provided with a frame member 68. The members ll and I8 may be attached to the side members 55 and I6 and to each other in any suitable way. They may be hinged together in a manner well known in the art.

One of the frame members l8 may be provided with a slide way it. The slide way I9 may comprise a base portion 20 which may be rigidly fastened to the frame member H in any suitable way such as by soldering, welding or the like. At each edge of the member 2! is an upstanding ridge 2| forming an intermediate channel. At their upper edges the members 2i extend outwardly to form guides 22 on which may slide a latching member 23. The latch member 23 at its bottom has downwardly extending portions 24 which engage the outer edges of the members 22 and the members 24 are provided at their lower edges with inwardly turned portions 25 which rest under the members 22 and in more or less close engagement with their bottom sides. As more clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 one of the members 22 on one side of the member 20 is cut out intermediate its ends leaving intact portions 26.

The member 23 may be slid endwise onto the member [9 and then a portion of one of the downwardly and inwardly projecting members 24 and 25 may be cut or bent or forced upwardly as indicated at 2'l in Figs. 1 and 4. This portion 2! thus forms a locking mechanism holding the sliding member 23 on to the slide way l9. As the sliding latch member 23 is moved to the right or left as indicated in Fig. l the member 21 will engage one or the other of the members 26 thus limiting the sliding movement. The extent of movement may be limited to the opening and closing position of the mechanism. 7

Mounted on the other frame member I! is a slide way 28 corresponding in general outline to the slide way l9 and in such position as to abut and be in alignment with the slide way 19 when the frame members ll and I8 are brought into contact with each other in the closed position of the receptacle. It will be noted that the abutting ends of the slide ways l9 and 28 are cut diagonally. It will also be noted that the abutting end of the slide way 28 is beveled on one side both laterally and vertically as indicated at 29. With the mechanism in the position indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 the sliding member 23 may be moved to the right within the limits of the stop 26 so that it will engage both slide ways I!) and 28 in which position it will hold closed the frame members l1 and Hi.

In order to keep the sliding member 23 from moving accidentally or by its own weight friction mechanism may be supplied thus a leaf spring 3|] may be mounted in the member [9. As illustrated in the drawing the bottom of the member I9 is chipped and portions 3! are bent upward and the leaf spring 30 is pressed between the chips 3! and under tension in such a way that the spring 30 exerts sufiicient friction pressure upon the bottom of the inside of the sliding member 23 to hold it against accidental displacement.

It will be understood that in Figs. 1 and 2 the apparatus is indicated in the position in which the frame members l1 and I8 may be separated. The sliding member 23 is held in this position by the spring 3!! until pressure is exerted on it. When pressure is exerted in the proper direction on the sliding member 23 it will move to the right into the dotted position indicated in Fig. 1. As

it moves the beveled portion 29 will assist in properly seating it upon the member 28 and as it reaches the dotted line position the member 21 by engagement with the stop member 26 will limit the movement. This movement brings the slide member 23 into engagement with both members [9 and 28 thus locking the members I! and I8 together and preventing opening of the receptacle. The spring 30 is still in position to exert pressure upon the sliding member 23 and hold it in the closed adjusted position. It will be noted that the spring 30 by exerting an upward pressure upon the sliding member 23 causes the members 25 to engage and frictionally press upon the members 22.

It will be noted that the cross sections of the slide ways l9 and 28 are the same and it may be convenient and economical to cut them each from the same strip of material. The recess, however, in the slide way 28 between the upwardly projecting side members is not necessary and a slide way having that recess filled may be employed when desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a receptacle having closure members, means for fastening the closure members comprising a slide way member fastened to one of the closure members, said slide Way member having edges extending upwardly and outwardly and at one end terminating in a diagonal line and having the outwardly extending edge slightly beveled, on the other closure member a similar second slide way having a diagonal end to substantially register with the first slide way when the closure members are brought into closing position, the outwardly extending edge on one side of the second slide-way member being recessed between its ends, a sliding cover member having depending and inwardly extending edges to engage and underlie the outwardly extending side members of the slide ways and having an inwardly extending member in the recess to engage portions of the outwardly extending edge to limit the movement in both directions of the sliding cover member, and a spring in the second slide-way member between its edges and engaging the sliding member and tending to hold it in any adjusted position by holding its Inwardly extending edges in frictional contact with the under side of the outwardly extending edges of the slide-way members.

2. In a receptacle having closure members, means for fastening the closure members comprising a slide-way member fastened to one of the closure members, said slide-way member having edges extending upwardly and outwardly, on the other closure member a similar second slide way arranged to substantially register with the first slide Way when the closure members are brought into closing position, the outwardly extending edge on one side of the second slideway member being recessed between its ends, a sliding cover member having depending and inwardly extending edges to engage and underlie the outwardly extending side members of the slide ways and having an inwardly extending member in the recess to engage portions of the outwardly extending edge to limit the movement in both directions of the sliding cover member and a spring in the second slide-way member between its edges and engaging the sliding member and tending to hold it in any adjusted position.

FRANK E. WAKEFIELD.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent NO. 2,055,033. March 24, 1956.

FRANK E. WAKEFIELD.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 45, for the numeral "1'?" read 18; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of April, A. D. 1936.

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

